Stenosis and/or diseases are a common problem in vessels of a patient. Angioplasty is one procedure used to treat a stenosis within a body vessel of a human being. During an angioplasty procedure, a medical catheter having an inflatable balloon attached to a catheter shaft is advance in the vessel until the balloon is adjacent to the stenosis. Subsequently, the balloon is inflated. This causes the site of the stenosis to compress into the arterial wall and the body vessel to dilate.
However, the angioplasty procedure is not always successful in treating the stenosis in the vessel. Further, the angioplasty procedure can simulate the vessel thereby causing a subsequent restenosis of the vessel. As a result thereof, a number of other devices have been suggested for use in conjunction with an angioplasty procedure. For example, one such device utilizes a balloon to position a plurality of apertures against the vessel wall. Subsequently, the medication is released from the apertures against the endothelium.
Unfortunately, this device has also proved not to be entirely satisfactory. Specifically, with this device, a majority, if not all of the fluid does not penetrate the vessel wall and is washed away into the blood stream. Due to the toxic nature of some fluids, this procedure jeopardizes the health of the patient. Further, because the fluid is washed away, the treatment on the vessel is relatively ineffective.
In light of the above, it is an object of the present invention to provide a device and method useful for treating a stenosis de novo, inhibiting a stenosis from occurring and/or inhibiting a restenosis caused by trauma from an intravascular procedure. It is another object of the present invention to provide a device for treating a vessel having a mechanism for penetrating the vessel wall that is separate from a mechanism which injects a fluid into the vessel wall. Another object of the present invention is to provide a device which can selectively vary the force and depth that is used to penetrate the vessel wall. Still another object of the present invention is to provide a device for treating a vessel which is easy to use, and relatively simple and inexpensive to manufacture. Still another object of the present invention is to provide a device and method for treating a vessel which minimizes the risk to the patient.